The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) yesterday passed an environmental impact assessment (EIA) report that is set to see groundwater tapping resume in an area near Greater Kaohsiung and Pingtung County.
The project, operated by Taiwan Water Corp, will allow 100,000 tonnes and 75,000 tonnes of groundwater to be pumped every day during high-flow and dry periods respectively.
Six groundwater wells that were sealed during former premier Su Tseng-chang’s (蘇貞昌) tenure are to be reopened in order to prevent serious land subsidence in the area.
Taiwan Water Resources Conservation Union director Jennifer Nien (粘麗玉) opposed the plan, citing a previous version of the report, which proposed tapping the water to cover the needs of the planned Dream World amusement park and a proposed free-trade harbor in Kaohsiung.
With water restrictions imposed on Greater Kaohsiung residents, the needs of water-intensive industries should not outweigh those of the public, she said.
However, delegates from Taiwan Water Corp said they would simultaneously monitor groundwater levels, subsidence rates and the amount of water tapped to prevent any possible subsidence.
With reference to past statistics, the company plans to implement a system of alarms and caps, company delegates said. An 80cm “buffer” in groundwater levels would be set to safeguard the area from dangerous levels of subsidence.
The maximum permissible subsidence stipulated by the EIA report is from 2cm to 3cm annually.
The report said that when the amount of water pumped is near the maximum amount, tapping should be reduced or balanced among the six wells. All tapping should be stopped immediately once the water tapped exceeds the cap.
Taiwan Water Corp delegates rebutted Nien’s allegation that the water would be pumped for industrial use, saying that a separate plan on the needs of industry would be submitted next year.
They said that the plan was instigated by the order of the Executive Yuan.
“This project seeks to serve one purpose only, which is to supply water for daily use to residents in the southern municipalities. It also forms part of the initiative to cover the water shortage in Tainan,” one delegate said.
The EIA committee members approved the report on the conditions that the company would subsequently provide information on how it is to balance tapping among the wells, and that the cap set forth in the report is not to be breached.
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